To the Land of Oz

To a bit of my own surprise I did make it to the airport and to an even greater surprise I was early.  Not surprisingly however my mother lost her composure while I was still dealing with the woman at the ticket counter.  After saying a quick goodbye to Tristan, my youngest brother I was given the option to let my mom have a pass to see me off to the gate. A decision, given hindsight, I may have considered thinking twice on.

My mom has always begins to sniffle and tear before I leave for any period of time; for this I have developed some level of tolerance. What I failed to anticipate was that my mom would leave a 15oz hand lotion container and large pocketknife in her purse.  When TSA questioned her she, met with the possibility of not being able to see me off to the gate as well as the embarrassment of the moment, began weeping uncontrollably inside security. I did my best assure her she would be able to take her things back to the car and still see me off.
Despite leaving me standing with a woman's purse in public and the awkward stare of everyone flying that day I managed to stay in good spirits. After what was probably a 7 dollar scone and a thirty minute wait I boarded my plane waving to my teary eyed mother.  This marked the beginning of my adventure.